


Naive Melody

by housebyside



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Family, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Flashbacks, M/M, Post-Movie: Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), References to Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-20 00:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14249238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/housebyside/pseuds/housebyside
Summary: Hermann Gottlieb is not alone. In fact, he hasn't been truly alone in over twenty-five years.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> One of the things Uprising wanted to be about was family. Whether it achieved that goal or not is up to you.  
> This fic wants to be a fix it, a love story, and maybe thirty other kinda pretentious things. It also wants to be about family. We'll see if it achieves that goal.  
>   
> It was helpfully and graciously edited by my wonderful friend Hawk.  
> Title taken from a Talking Heads song I like a lot and could be considered the official mood of the fic.

Hermann Gottlieb was alone in his apartment eating dinner at nine thirty at night. He remembered his mother telling him and his siblings not to eat after the sun set or else the food would weigh down the mind and they’d have nightmares. He continued to eat, knowing he was having nightmares either way. Besides, he didn’t let memories scare him anymore. Not his nor anyone else’s, even after everything. 

The world almost ended again and there he was, a month later, eating soup from a white Styrofoam bowl. He spent more time trying to avoid scraping the edges with his plastic spoon and the sound that would make than eating. It was hard for him not to think of blankets of poisoned ash filling the apartment. He watched the purple red miasma pour in through the balcony door and curl around his legs and pool over the table. He imagined that he and the soup dissolved in the smoke that would spill out his front door and roll over the earth taking everything else with them into oblivion. He hadn’t been very hungry before, but this train of thought certainly wasn’t helping. 

During those long years after the first Kaiju attack, before he helped save the world the first time, Hermann couldn’t remember ever feeling such misery. Unable to eat? Yes, there were days where the thought of teeth pulling anything apart made him sick. Unable to sleep? Yes, it was difficult to convince himself to rest when a beast could swipe his whole life away with an uncaring step while he dreamed. So very sad? Yes, he’d been sad. He knew more dead than alive at this point. He understood sorrow. Like ash and smoke? No. He’d never felt like ash and smoke before. He had never felt inanimate, or perhaps a better word was lifeless. He hadn’t felt this way during the ten years between the first end of the world and the second, he hadn’t felt this way as he rushed the construction of the Jagers to keep the Kaiju from entering Mt. Fuji, he didn’t feel this way when he went on his secret mission, he didn't even feel this way when they got up to the lab and his excitement became horror when he—

No. That was not the problem directly at hand. It was this feeling. It settled over him more and more each day and he had to find the cause before it buried him. What had caused this? This depression? It couldn’t just be what waited in a PPDC cell deep below the surface. Although that was a great source of his everyday sorrow, he knew it was not what was making his limbs feel heavier than normal. It had the opposite effect usually. The thought of it filled him with anger and spurred him to think of solutions. He did not lose his hope after a month.

He thought back to the last time he visited the cell: it was four days ago. Hermann was a mathematician not a psychologist, however, he heard enough ranting from his first college roommate and had a second set of memories in his head that were of the opinion that Freud was a quote “mega jackass”. Thus he was not inclined to put any stock into the man’s writings. However, his theory of the uncanny, that something could be a step away from familiar, a step away from human, made some sense to Hermann. Especially seeing the way he shifted in his chair let alone his smile—

His plastic spoon scratched against the side of the bowl. He shuddered, almost recoiling from the noise. There was no way he’d be able to eat it now. He tossed the soup into his trash can and made his way to his room. The only sound in his apartment was the hum of city life slowly returning to normal and the thud of his cane against the floor. He sat at the end of his bed, still wearing his work clothes and shoes. He knew he wouldn’t be sleeping for hours yet whether he wanted to or not. His shoulders slouched and he tried not to think of the pulsing hot red rock his apartment would have become and the extinction of all life on earth if the beast had moved a step closer.

What had changed? He rested his forehead against the handle of his cane and squeezed his eyes shut. What was different now compared to those long years without him? Compared to those long years with him afraid that at any moment they’d all be dead? Maybe he should talk to Ranger Pentecost or Doctor Reyes. He hadn’t touched base with them much since the attack. 

Oh. That must be the cause. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to look out at his apartment, the sole audience for his revelation. He hadn’t really spoken to anyone in nearly a month. He didn’t even really speak in the cell, only observed, too afraid it would twist his words into something that would really ruin him. He’d been an introverted child, student, and member of K-Science, but he’d never gone so long without interacting with someone outside of pleasantries. 

His weary mind slipped to the days before the breach closed. He rarely had the lab all to himself, despite his repeated requests for a separate workplace or at least some quiet. Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t only his loud coworker he had to host. The lab was often filled with Marshall Pentecost’s children and the friends they invited along with them. These visits blatantly disregarded PPDC regulations and he was sure to reminded them of this. But thinking back, he couldn’t stop smiling against the crook of his cane. Even when he was trapped in the lab for days trying to work out spiraling lines of equations and bearing the heavy death toll expected with each line of chalk, those kids still made their way in and ensured neither he nor, nor Newton, went too long without talking to someone and end up cracking and collapsing into dust and ash. 

His mind pushed out from those memories and began to formulate plans. It was what he was great at after all. His mind pushed aside blankets of volcanic debris to make room for lists, questions, answers, and numbers. He needed to talk to a lot of people in order for it all to go smoothly. After hours sitting on his bed working through the logistics he thought: would this plan really work?

“Totally dude,” The second set of memories in his head provided the familiar phrase as a sort of answer.

That night, Hermann dreamed blue tinted memories doubled like a photo from a camera that shifted while it was being taken. They were of times spent with all the people he had loved. He didn’t fear remembering anymore, but it was nice to dream of something pleasant for once.


	2. Cover Up the Blank Spots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After being kind of cryptic in my first author's note I'll clear up the format this fic will be in. From now on it's gonna be back and forth past and ~present~ chapters until we reach the end which I project will be in about 11 ish chapter or so. Hope you enjoy this one!

_Alaskan Shatterdome Circa. 2017_  


The scratching of chalk against black board was quick but consistent. The strokes of pencil against paper were hesitant but steady. The tapping of a hand against a table was the only thing deliberately trying to be musical. Hermann was so absorbed in trying to turn theoretical math into solid metal weaponry that he didn’t notice the gentle rhythm around him until one element abruptly stopped. 

“This is stupid,” Jake’s pencil clattered to the work desk and Hermann swung his head around as Newton’s beat on his desk slowed to a stop.

“I thought we had something there,” Newt shook his head.

“I didn’t realize you spent all those years studying biology so you could waste your time trying to annoy others while they are working,” was Hermann’s sharp reply.

“Dude, you know I have to wait for the new shipment to arrive before I can do anything, I’m bored outta my fu-,” he had been gesturing with his arms in the air, he glanced at the eight year old a foot away from him and slowly lowered them back to the desk, “I’m bored, sue me.”

Hermann huffed and turned back to his work, already forgetting what made him turn around in the first place.

“This is stupid!” Jake repeated, expecting an acknowledgement this time.

“What’s stupid Jake-o?” Newton leaned over to look at the worksheet Jake had been working on while Hermann also moved closer to see what was wrong, automatically as if he wasn’t aware he was doing so.

“This math is stupid,” Jake shoved the paper away from him.

“Hey, don’t let Old Hermann hear you, it’s like his whole thing. You might hurt his feelings,” Newt said.

Hermann didn’t dignify that with much more than an eye roll and a huff, and picked up the worksheet of simple multiplication tables and glanced over it, his brain automatically solving each problem like it had to, needed to. 

“I guess a better question, besides the obvious, is why do you think math is stupid? I mean, Biology is way cooler,” Newt said with a comforting smile which got Jake’s frown to loosen a little, “but as lame as it is, you have to do some.”

Jake let out a long sigh, “Math isn’t stupid,” he looked over at Hermann like it was an apology to him which got Hermann’s lips to quirk into a half smile.

“Are you having difficulty Mr. Pentecost?” Hermann asked.

“Dude,” Newton said over Jake’s shoulder, “He’s like eight and he’s in here every other day, I’m sure you can call him Jake.”

“No,” Jake said, clearly weighing his options, “I like it.”

Newt shrugged and Hermann couldn’t hold back a look of satisfaction, “Well, I can see when I’ve been overruled, Mr. Pentecost.”

Jake’s frown was completely gone as he giggled, “No, you’re not allowed to.”

“Whatever you say Jake-o,” Newt winked at Hermann, which conveyed some kind of abstract parental conspiratorial feeling Hermann had never felt before and wasn’t sure how to process. He felt like he should put a hand on someone’s shoulder and tell them how proud of them he was, but he wasn’t quite sure if that was what parents actually did. 

He decided to meet the feeling half way, “If you are having any trouble with your homework, I’m sure either I or Dr. Geiszler could assist you. Dr. Geiszler especially seems to need something to entertain  
him,” Hermann said.

“Hear that Jake? He Dr. Geiszler-ed me. I can totally help you though, what’s the problem?” Newton asked. 

Jake’s frown returned and his eyes got glossy, “I don’t want help! It’s all pointless and stupid!" he stood up in his chair causing the sound of the scratch of chair against floor to echo through the room, "Why do I have to do homework if the world’s gonna end?”

Hermann and Newton went rigid, Newt sat up straight in his chair and Herman’s arm went stiff on his cane. They shared another semi-parental look that was quick and conveyed a conversation’s worth of panic and what do we do? What could we possibly say?

“Jake,” Newt said softly, but they were too late. Jake ran out of the room. 

Hermann and Newt let out almost identical held breaths and shared another look, more weary and resigned. 

“I’ll contact his father,” Hermann said. 

After he had informed the Marshall, Hermann went back to his work and Newton remained uncharacteristically silent, probably finding that he could not pick up the rhythm of the room again with such a vital component missing.

Hermann, over the past year, had been shifting from helping develop the Jaegers to trying to work out the properties of the breach in the Pacific and finding some sort of pattern for the Kaiju arrivals. Jake had been absent from the lab for over a week which allowed for his and Newton’s disagreements to become more openly vicious. In between these bouts of shouting there were long stretches of aching quiet. Hermann could feel his work suffering and he wasn’t sure why. Of course the shouting wasn’t helping, although it hadn’t impedaded him this much before, and the quiet should have been perfect for his concentration. However, he wasn’t making much progress at all. The amount of time between attacks was getting shorter and if he could just figure out the exact rate, lives would be saved. But the lab stayed silent and the problem stayed unsolved. 

One of these long bouts of quiet was entirely because Newton had stormed out, he was the only person Hermann knew who that phrase could accurately describe. The fight started about a report they had yet to file but became about nothing fairly quickly. They were just trying to fill the emptiness of the room. As he grabbed his jacket from the nail he’d hammered into the wall with a hammer meant for Kaiju bone, Newt declared to their shared workspace, like a punctuation mark to their argument, “This is fucking pointless.” 

After filing a complaint about this irrational behavior and a fourth about the against regulation adjustment to their work space, he flagged down a couple of techs who, with his instructions, reported back that Newt was sitting in the mess hall moping but seemed otherwise okay. He took this information in and dismissed the techs, intending to go back to work. He instead stood in front of one of his blackboards, grinding chalk into the latest number, leaning on his good leg and feeling it begin to shake. He cried out after a moment and hurled the piece of chalk into the board before falling backwards onto his chair, his cane clattering to the ground. 

“Dr. Gottlieb?” 

Hermann lifted his head and turned to the door were Jake stood gripping a math worksheet and a number two pencil. Hermann immediately began straightening out his jumper, getting even more chalk dust in the fiber as he tried to recover and keep his voice from shaking, “Ah yes, Mr. Pentecost, can I help you?”

“Are you okay, Dr. Gottlieb?” Jake said as he sat across from Hermann at the work table. 

Hermann let out a small puff of air, he never liked being lied to as a child, he decided to treat Jake with the same respect he had wanted, “No, I’m afraid I got a little angry.”

Jake scrunched up his nose and tilted his head, “I didn’t know you got that kind of angry.”

“What do you mean?” Hemmann asked, squinting his eyes.

“Well you get normal sort of angry when you and Newt argue, but it’s not like super angry,” Jake tried to explain, “My dad told me it’s okay to get frustrated, as long as you talk about it.”

“Your father is a wise man,” Herrmann said with a small sort of smile. 

“But I didn’t know you could get really, really angry,” Jake explained. 

“Why is that?” Hermann asked.

“I didn’t think people who were good at math could get really angry I guess,” Jake said.

“You should stop talking with Dr. Geiszler,” Hermann said wryly, “anyone can get angry, especially with everything that has happened.”

“That’s also what my dad said,” Jake said quietly.

“Your father is a wise man,” Hermann repeated, more distantly that time. 

“Do you think doing math would help you feel better?” Jake asked, blinking his eyes sweetly.

“I already told you I would be delighted to help you with your homework,” Hermann said. 

He began helping Jake with his multiplication tables and did feel better, doing math that didn’t speak of how he and everyone he’d ever known might die was refreshing. He realized, while going over the properties of zero with Jake, that he hadn’t done math with no stakes since before the attack. 

“Anytime you need help with math, or science I suppose, feel free to ask,” Hermann said as Jake got ready to leave.

“Thanks Hermann,” Jake said, smiling from the doorway.

“Thank you too, Jake,” Hermann said scratching his ear and looking down at his feet. 

“I’m going to tell Newt you said my first name!” Jake cried and went racing down the halls.

“No wait!” Hermann called out taking only one step further. He stopped and smiled then turned back to his work. Once Newt and Jake arrived to tease him, maybe he’d finally be able to get back into the rhythm of his work.


	3. Make It Up As We Go Along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things about this story I didn't tag: Mako is alive! Just in a coma. I didn't tag it because spoilers. Also I'm of the opinion that Jake, Nate, and Jules are in a poly-amorous type relationship but I didn't tag it because it's not a huge part of the story, just know that's what's going on. Anyway thanks for reading! This one is a bit longer because I'm inconsistent! Apologies.

_Hong Kong Shatterdome Circa. One Month and One Week After A Snowball Fight ___

__Jake pried his head from the desk as a chorus of papers swayed back and forth in the air until quickly crashing together on the ground. He brought one hand up to his face and, with his palm, wiped away the moisture that had gathered at the corners of his mouth. Ranger Jake Pentecost had fallen asleep at a desk, a desk he worked at. He pushed the rolling chair away as if that would separate him from what he’d done. On better days, he’d joke about how they must be desperate if they want him near any administrative tasks. They aren’t his thing, he’d said to them, if they have any fighting, inspiring, saving-the-world-hero-type things, then give him a ring. On worse days, he faces the fact that they are desperate. People who used to do this job are dead. Jake is perfectly capable of writing reports and checking filing while they recover and while the world recovers. He used to run a business after all, a shady one, but a business nonetheless. And he had a father who made sure he stayed in school during the apocalypse as well as a pair of formidable tutors. So he agreed to help and pretended not to think of the person who used to use this desk before they probably burned to death. He got up out of the chair and left the papers on the floor as he headed out into the shatterdome._ _

__Mako still hadn’t woken up in the hospital, most of his rangers were still injured, and he’d been to too many funerals. At these funerals, strangers had a habit of taking his hand and looking him in the eyes like they’d find something there. He worried at first that they were blaming him. When the first woman squeezed their palms together and tears pressed at her eyes, he was sure she thought it was all his fault her son was dead. He was ready to agree with her: if he’d been faster, trained them a little better, maybe he would have made it. Before he could apologize, she thanked him and let his hand go, which dropped to his side like his brain disconnected and couldn’t raise it anymore. He still wasn’t sure what these mourners wanted from him and he couldn’t ask them. Even if he could, he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out._ _

__After wandering the halls, he discovered he had woken up at five in the morning, what a rotten hour. Even that early, the dome moved around him. He heard people chattering in several different languages and the loud buzz of electric saws. It was one of those that probably woke him up too goddamn early. If his instincts were right, Amara was probably deep in the wiry guts of one of the Jaegers, maybe she was the one using that saw. He knew he was right, and he cursed himself for it. He wanted to talk to her. He needed a certain kind of talk right now. She was one of the few people who could give it. He could talk to Nate or Jules, but he also knew they wouldn’t say what he needed. He rubbed his eyes and laughed humorlessly to himself in a hallway as people passed by him offering nods and salutes. He needed the kind of talk his dad could give, that Mako could give. It was also the kind of talk two other, formidable people could give._ _

He was having trouble resisting the urge that still crept up on him like reflex: the urge to run away. He had buried it deep and spent his spare time dragging it back up and trying to break it. Despite his continued efforts, it lingered. Right now, he needed someone to tell him to stay. He needed to talk to Hermann Gottlieb. By doing so he’d have to face the fact that he’d been avoiding Hermann for almost a month now. Surely he hadn’t started out with that intention? He was incredibly busy for the first week or two, and hell he was still busy now. But of course, there had to have been time to ask if he was okay? Hermann wouldn’t lie to him, so Jake knew he would say no. Which Jake understood. When he first saw that _thing_ up close and personal, he couldn’t hold back promising fire and fury. He clenched his fists and turned to the stairwell that would lead him to the labs, he had to stop running away. He was avoiding Hermann because it was easy to hate the monster that had killed hundreds of thousands. It was a lot harder to be reminded of how Newton used to make up incredibly complicated science based scavenger hunts to help him understand the life cycle of bugs, static electricity, or really anything as that seemed to be his go to teaching method. He remembered Hermann shaking his head and making notes to his father, but at the same time, that several of the clues were written in Hermann’s handwriting. 

__

____He stood outside the lab, wavering by the door. He eventually pushed his way in and found a small group of scientists puttering around at their usual stations. No Hermann, but one Jules was standing at the head of the room._ _ _ _

____“Jules!” his mouth broke into a wide grin._ _ _ _

____“Jake,” she said and did the thing she does with her eyebrows that vexed him._ _ _ _

____“Jules, how are you babe?” he asked laying it on thick with a wink._ _ _ _

____“I’m busy, babe,” she said gesturing to everything happening around her. Jake had to admit it was weird seeing the lab this way. Back when he was a kid, there was just as huge of a team but Hermann and Newt always seemed tucked away until they were literally the only ones left. It was as if they could always sense that they’d end up alone. Jules ran the lab differently. She liked open floor plans and open communication. Jake had to appreciate that about her._ _ _ _

____“Do you know where Dr. Gottlieb is?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t where he thought he was, he wasn’t sure he could handle facing both harsh realities this early in the morning._ _ _ _

____“He’s with one of your rangers, Vik.” she said._ _ _ _

____“Vik?” he asked, so surprised it wasn’t the worst case scenario that he said her name way too loud._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, she came down to the lab earlier and they talked for a bit and Hermann told me they were heading to the outside part of the mess hall,” she shrugged, “I was already running everything today anyway, and I think he needs it. A break, I mean. A thousand year break maybe.”_ _ _ _

____“Thanks Jules, and how about we meet up at the mess hall for lunch?” Jake asked._ _ _ _

____“Already making plans this early?” she shook her head and smiled, “I’ll text Nate, and we’ll be there,” she said and waved him to the door, “Now go, if you take much more of my time you won’t see me till dinner.”_ _ _ _

____“Alright, alright,” he held his hands up and backed out the door, giving Jules finger guns and a final semi-work-appropriate flirty wink that he thought he saw her return before the door shut._ _ _ _

____As he headed for the mess hall, he tried to figure out why Vik would want to talk to Hermann. He hadn’t seen them talk before, of course anything could have happened before he showed up or during the month he avoided Hermann. In guilt, he stopped trying to think of a good reason and instead focused on finding them._ _ _ _

____The sun was just peeking over the water when he stepped out into the small gathering of tables on the balcony overlooking the beach. The lamps on the railing were still lit, but began to dim as the sun rose higher. The place was nearly empty, but at a table close to the railing, Hermann and Vik sat across from each other talking. As Jake walked up he realized that they were speaking in German. Vik’s words were said hesitantly while Hermann spoke slow and patient._ _ _ _

____Vik noticed Jake first, she instinctively stood up and saluted him, “Sir.”_ _ _ _

____“At ease,” he said and did a short hesitant wave. During battle, the formality felt necessary to make sure orders were followed, but now it felt weird. He’d been to hell with these teenagers, and he wished he never let that happen, even if it felt like that was the only option at the time. But he made choices in the face of death and he had to live with them._ _ _ _

____As Vik sat back down, Hermann looked at him with a small smile, “Hello, Ranger Pentecost.”_ _ _ _

____Jake stopped himself from sucking in a huge breath, he Ranger Pentecost-ed him. He supposed that was fair, “Hello, Dr. Gottlieb, Vik.”_ _ _ _

____“Did you need me sir?” Vik asked, eyes focusing on his._ _ _ _

____“No, no,” Jake was waffling and he knew it, “do you mind if I join you? I was just walking around and decided to come out here. See the sunrise?”_ _ _ _

____“I’d be delighted,” Hermann said bowing his head slightly, “do you mind Ranger Viktoria?”_ _ _ _

____“No sir,” she said._ _ _ _

____Jake sat down and there was a quiet for awhile. Jake was counting the seconds wondering how long it would be until the silence could be considered officially awkward._ _ _ _

____“Do you remember any German, Ranger Pentecost?” Hermann finally asked._ _ _ _

____Thank god he said something, Jake could have sighed in relief, “I remember a few words,” he learned a little from Newton and Hermann when he was a kid. According to Newt, there was a period were learning a second language became much harder as an adult so he tried to get him to learn German while his brain was still developing. He used his basic comprehension to a facilitate a few deals when he first left the PPDC, but he hadn’t really used it in a while. The words he did remember, well, were the ones Newton and Hermann often shouted back and forth instead of using English curse words in front of an impressionable child. The first time he’d said one of the words he’d heard from them at dinner, his father had sent a memo to the pair of scientists. Newt said the color Hermann turned at seeing the note was a whole new one for the human species as a whole, and Hermann didn’t comment because he wasn’t going to talk to him for another four days._ _ _ _

____“I’m trying to learn,” Vik said gesturing at Hermann._ _ _ _

____“I’m trying my best to teach her, but I’m not sure if I’m the most effective German tutor,” Hermann admitted, “do you remember what helped you?”_ _ _ _

____Did Hermann get sneakier after Jake ran away? He wasn’t asking about German, this conversation was never just going to be about German, “Scavenger hunts,” Jake said finally looking Hermann directly in his knowing eyes._ _ _ _

____“Scavenger hunts?” Vik repeated the words slowly, her shoulders slouching as she finally relaxed, “What are those?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh,” Jake rubbed the back of his neck as the sun began to warm the ocean, “it’s like a game where you follow clues that eventually lead you to a prize. The clues lead you to different locations and you could make them educational.”_ _ _ _

____“Are they fun?” Vik asked seriously._ _ _ _

____“Yeah?” Jake said._ _ _ _

____“Would they be a good team building exercise?” Vik asked leaning closer, eyes sharp._ _ _ _

____“Uh, maybe?” Jake said, “If it was a friendly competition, or everyone worked together?”_ _ _ _

____Vik’s mouth straightened at the corners and her face lit up, “Sir, I request permission to set up a scavenger hunt for my fellow cadets.”_ _ _ _

____“I authorize it,” Jake said wondering how into the idea Nate would be, probably not very, “In fact, Nate and I will set it up.”_ _ _ _

____“Thank you sir.” Vik said quickly and stood up, “I will report the idea to the rest of the cadets and receive their feedback, sir.”_ _ _ _

____Jake stood up too and they saluted each other. As Vik hurried off, Jake sat back down to see Hermann looking out at the sea and the sunrise oranges and reds beginning to fade into blue._ _ _ _

____“Dr. Gottlieb,” Jake started, “Hermann.”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, Jake?” Hermann said slowly moving his gaze back to Jake’s. Hermann looked at him with the same look the mourners gave him. He was searching him for something. Did his dad have to deal with this? Did people find something in his dad and now they wanted to see it in him too?_ _ _ _

____“How are you holding up?” Jake asked much more reserved than he was going for._ _ _ _

____Hermann’s mouth crooked in a wistful shape, “Better.”_ _ _ _

____“Glad to hear that, yeah?” Jake also smiled, and another silence passed. This time Jake decided to break it, “I’m sorry.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry too,” Hermann said softly, “But I’m glad you’re here.”_ _ _ _

____“It’s good to see you too,” Jake said and felt the part of him that wanted to run fading as the traces of the sunrise faded, “Sorry I ran off like that. Way back then, didn’t even say goodbye.”_ _ _ _

____“It’s forgiven Jake,” Hermann said, still soft, but with a force behind it, “It’s been forgiven for a long time.”_ _ _ _

____God, Jake wanted to cry. He wished that right now he could say sorry to Newt, wished he could say sorry to Mako, oh god did he wish he could say sorry to his dad. Why did he avoid Hermann for so long? He was the only one around he could apologize to. And to hear that he was forgiven? “Thanks,” was the most he could get out, but the way Hermann’s eyes soften made him think that he understood._ _ _ _

____“If you don’t mind me asking,” Hermann shifted in his seat and leaned in, “what have you been up to all these years?”_ _ _ _

____Jake laughed, “I don’t know if you want to hear it.”_ _ _ _

____“Humor me,” Hermann said, “Doctor Reyes told me if I came back too soon she’d lock me out of the labs. So if you’ve got the time, I’d love to catch up with you.”_ _ _ _

____“I’ve got the time,” Jake said, he didn’t plan on being awake right now anyway, “I’ll leave out any particular sordid details but-” Jake spun the tale of Jake Pentecost: smuggler, while leaving out the parts that made him look really bad. After he was done, Hermann talked about the end of the first apocalypse and what he’d been doing thinking the world might not be as safe as people thought. Hermann’s story was much shorter, which made Jake a little sad but he understood why._ _ _ _

____After he was done Hermann asked him, “Jake, could you do me a favor?”_ _ _ _

____Jake looked at his math tutor, co-uncle, and formidable inspiration, “Of course.”_ _ _ _

____As Hermann detailed his plans to Jake on the empty balcony as the sun rose to its height in the sky, Jake realized what people were looking for in his eyes._ _ _ _

____“Do you think it will work?” Jake asked._ _ _ _

____Hermann looked him in the eyes, “I hope so.”_ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be posting a chapter every three days or so from now on.  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Thank you for reading!


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